


At Captain's Pizzeria

by imma_redshirt



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: AU, F/M, M/M, and applying for starfleet academy, semi modern au, so it's not really modern au exactly, the bridge crew are all working their way through college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:56:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9688937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imma_redshirt/pseuds/imma_redshirt
Summary: Spock is a new employee at a small pizzeria. When he meets the friend of his coworker, Jim, he is immediately fascinated--and also immediately insults the man.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in the middle of completely revamping The Western Tradition (I wrote myself into a corner with chapter 2) and to take a little break, I wrote this thing. Thought someone else might get a kick out of it, so I decided to go ahead and post it.
> 
> Semi-modern AU, with college age bridge crew trying to get into Starfleet Academy, and a money system still in place. Money kinda plays an important part in this rickety plot.
> 
> Also, please just... ignore the title. Or imagine something good in it's place. Like, amazing. There. Thank you.
> 
> Enjoy!

Spock had been working at Captain’s Pizzeria for three weeks when he first met Jim’s “really awesome doctor friend.” (Jim’s statement, not his.)

As an employee of a restaurant frequented by families with young children, Spock had quickly become familiar with the anomaly that was small humanoids racing across the establishment with no regards to any obstacles in their way--i.e., tables, chairs, and Vulcan waiters carrying hot pizzas to waiting customers. 

Thankfully, as a Vulcan, Spock was decidedly quicker and more agile than a human, and easily avoided all screaming children that tore across his path. College students were also frequent customers, often arriving in groups to study, and Spock found his natural agility very agreeable when delivering large orders of pizza to study groups with younger children bouncing about the dining area. 

Captain’s Pizzeria was not an especially large establishment, with only seven rectangular tables that seated up to six people, three booths that sat up to four near the storefront windows, and two small, round tables in the shaded area just outside the door. Across from the dining area, the play area held four arcade games, an air hockey table, a dancing video game, and a crane claw machine filled with space themed plush toys. The decor of the play area consisted of stars, space ships, planets, and a swirling nebula all painted on the walls, with a star strewn carpet. The dining area was decorated more tastefully, with tilled walls, and tables painted with small, blue stars. 

Spock had never visited such a restaurant as a child, and found it interesting that he worked at one as an adult. It was, of course, a logical decision on his part, one that his parents did not need to know about.

He was already attending a university on Earth against his father’s wishes. If Sarek knew that his son had been employed at a small pizzeria… Spock did not care to calculate the outcomes.

On the day of his first encounter with the doctor, business was slow. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and Spock had begun his shift an hour earlier. Jim, a fellow employee and student, and the one who had convinced him to apply for his new job, was in the play area, repairing the crane claw machine. Or, more accurately, repairing the crane claw machine when he wasn’t trying to obtain a high score on the _Asteroid Attack!_ arcade game. 

Two families had filtered in during Spock’s shift. Both had been served, and were currently seated, enjoying their meals. After offering both families drink refills, Spock was returning to the counter with a pitcher of ice cold water in one hand and another of strongly flavored soda in the other, when the front door swung open and a waist-high blur came speeding in, shrieking “YAY PIZZA” as it narrowly missed sideswiping a table and headed right through Spock’s path.

Spock stepped to the side and raised the pitchers higher just as the blur passed him. The liquids sloshed in their glass containers but did not spill, and Spock continued on his way to the counter, where the blur had come to a sudden halt.

As he stepped behind the counter, Spock found himself being watched by two bright blue eyes.

“Welcome to Captain’s Pizzeria,” he said, offering the restaurant’s standard greeting and setting the pitchers down. “Are you unaccompanied by an adult?”

The human child met a Vulcan frown with one of her own. “You’re not Uncle Jim. What’s una-unacompany mean?”

Spock allowed her to stumble over the word before correcting, “Unaccompanied. It means that you are alone.”

“I’m not alone! My Daddy’s comin’.”

Spock look up to the storefront. No adults walked in, and he saw no one standing outside the windows.

“He’s talkin’ to Mr. Sulu,” the child said.

Ah. Hikaru Sulu owned the flower shop next door. He and his co-manager, Mr. Chekov, were friends with Jim, and Spock had come to respect them both. Before Spock could comment further, the little girl held up a small, school issued PADD and waved it at him. 

“I got all A’s on my report card! That means I get a free Cadet’s Cheese Pizza. What’s your name?”

Spock studied the screen. It did indeed show a report card with A’s and the name McCoy, Joanna at the top. 

“My name is Spock,” Spock said. “I will begin your order as soon as your father arrives.”

Joanna frowned and lowered her PADD. Before Spock could apologize, the front door opened and a man made his way in, still speaking to someone behind him. Spock observed the human’s thin frame, a tan jacket and dark blue jeans, when Joanna’s disapproving voice distracted him. 

“But I already made the order, Mr. Spock.”

Spock blinked. The girl watched him with big, inquisitive eyes. “I apologize, but all orders must be made by adults.”

“How come?”

“Those are the rules of Captain’s Pizzeria.”

“Why?”

“I imagine the owner, Mr. Pike, deemed it necessary.”

“‘K, why’d he do that?”

“So that adults may also pay for the order.”

“K, but why? It’s not fair.”

“To keep little munchkins from ordering buckets of ice cream,” came a new voice from behind, and Spock felt a sliver of relief as the man from the door scooped his giggling child into his arms. He settled her settled her on his hip and winked at Spock, who felt an unfamiliar heat in his face.

“I want all the ice cream!” Joanna said.

“Don’t we all? But how about two scoops for now,” the man said.

“How about three scoops!”

“No,” the man said, and received a frown in return. “Your Mama gave you that donut after breakfast, remember?”

Joanna’s face lit up. “Oh yeah! It was chocolate! I want strawberry ice cream!”

“Alright. Look, Jim’s over there, why don’t you go bother him while I get the food?”

“K!” Joanna said as the man set her back on the floor, “I already tried, but Mr. Spock didn’t let me. Bye!”

With that, the little girl became a blur again as she ran across the play area to throw her arms around Jim’s legs as he put another credit into the arcade game.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” the man said, “She likes to run in here before me. Usually Jim’s here to take the order, but we haven’t been here in a while. You’re that new guy he was talkin’ about?”

It was the first time Spock had heard a Southern accent in person, albeit a subtle one. Jim had mentioned that his friend, a divorced medical student attending the same university as themselves, had moved here from Georgia, so Spock had suspected a slow drawl of some kind. What he had not expected was his almost immediate fascination with it.

The man, McCoy, did not seem more than five years older than himself, though the circles under his blue eyes made him seem perhaps older than he was. His height was close to Spock’s own, and yet Spock could not shake the impression that McCoy was still physically smaller than he was, which, he realized, was an odd observation to make at that particular time and place. 

“My name is Spock,” he answered. “I began working here three weeks ago. Jim spoke to you about me?”

“You’ve made a real impression on him,” McCoy said, again with the underlying drawl. He pulled a wallet from his pocket and looked up at the menu above Spock’s head. “Just glad he’s found someone who can handle his intense studying habits. Go ahead and give me a Cobb Salad and a water with Jo’s Cadet pizza, and a small strawberry soda, to go.”

Spock entered the orders into the register, thinking briefly of the long nights he and Jim spent after work studying for the entrance exams into Starfleet Academy. Spock did not require the same effort that his human classmate did, but the study sessions were more enjoyable than he cared to admit out loud. 

Spock relayed the order to the cook on duty, and when he turned back to the counter, he caught McCoy quickly averting his eyes back to the menu. Spock had caught others discreetly admiring him before, but he curiously found it agreeable coming from this particular human.

After McCoy paid for the meal, Spock handed him a bottled water and an empty paper cup, debating whether or not he should inform McCoy of Joanna’s near miss with the table. He decided it was far more logical to do so, rather than let the human leave without knowing of his daughter’s dangerous habit.

“Earlier, when Joanna came in,” Spock said, catching McCoy’s attention before he could leave, “She was running, and almost injured herself with a table.”

McCoy snorted, almost seeming amused of all things. “Sorry again about that. I’ll talk to her about running.”

“Understood, though I would advise refraining from letting her enter the restaurant alone in the future, for her own safety.”

McCoy paused, and raised an eyebrow. “She was fine. She’s been here a thousand times, she knows the place, we know the owners, and she wasn’t alone. I was right behind her.”

Spock raised an eyebrow in kind. “She entered alone. And I don’t mean to insult you. I’m only offering advice, as we at Captain’s Pizzeria require children be accompanied by adults at all times, for the children’s wellbeing.”

McCoy set the drinks down on the counter. Spock felt that the gesture radiated anger, though he did not completely understand why. He had only offered constructive criticism. Those tired, blue eyes, he noticed, were incensed.

“Are you tellin’ me I don’t know how to keep my kid safe?”

“That is not what I said.”

“Well, you were implyin’ it.”

“I did not intend to.”

“Well, you did, and I think I’d like to finish takin’ my order from someone else.”

Spock quirked an eyebrow. “That is an illogical statement, Mr. McCoy. You’ve already paid for your order.”

Somehow, Spock felt he had insulted the med student even further. 

“ _Logic?_ Of course it’s logical! Jo wanted ice cream,” McCoy said, with sharp hand gesture at the ice cream machine by the counter. 

“Of course. Strawberry, correct?”

“Oh no, not you, get someone--”

“Bones!”

Before the conversation could stray any further into argument territory, James Kirk interrupted with a grin, Joanna perched on his shoulders. The younger McCoy had two, light blue, plush stars in her hands, and was trying to balance them on Jim’s head.

“Look what Uncle Jim got for me, Daddy!”

Jim set her down, still grinning. “Uncle Jim braved the evil crane claw machine with his expert skills and rescued these two little stars for your Captain-in-Training, Bones.”

“You opened the back and took them out!”

“Jo, you’re making me look bad in front of your Daddy.”

“And Mr. Spock,” Joanna said, and climbed into the nearest seat at an empty table with her toys.

“So!” Jim said, and clapped McCoy on the shoulder. “Bones! Back from Georgia. How was the trip?”

“Long,” McCoy said.

“I can tell. You look beat.”

“Ah, I’m fine,” McCoy said. He seemed determined not to meet Spock’s eyes, now. Spock felt the barest tinge of regret at that, though he did not understand why.

“And you’ve met Spock,” Jim said, turning the bright grin on his co-worker. “Spock, this is Bones, the friend I wanted you to meet. I think you two are gonna get along great, and he’s gonna be a real help during our study sessions!”

Spock blinked. “He will be joining us?”

“Yeah!” Jim threw an arm around the med student’s shoulders, and McCoy rolled his eyes. “Actually, we’re both going to be seeing a lot more of him. Remember Sulu needed some more help around the shop?”

Immediately, Spock had to suppress a surge of both anticipation and dread. He would have to later examine the reasoning behind the rogue emotions, though he knew they both had to do with the man scowling at the side of his head.

“Yes.”

“Well, Bones here needs some extra cash, soooo,” he drew out the last syllable longer than necessary. “Guess who's gonna be our new work neighbor.”

Jim, at least, seemed thrilled. 

“You’re really gonna work with Mr. Sulu, Daddy?” Jo was suddenly at her father’s side. “ _Really?_ ”

“Yep,” McCoy said with a smile, apparently unable to remain angry in face of his daughter’s unbridled joy. 

“YAY!” Joanna cheered, and threw her arms around her father’s legs in a tight hug. “That means we can eat pizza _every day!_ ”

At that, McCoy finally met Spock’s gaze. His look was challenging. Spock did not know what challenge the human had in mind, but he found that he looked forward to defeating him in whatever it was. Whatever Spock had expected from working at a small pizzeria, it had never involved the presence of an attractive human he had repeatedly insulted. Now, though, his time there would certainly be a fascinating one.

**Author's Note:**

> Every time I promise to update, it takes me over a year, so I'm not gonna promise anything, so maybe this will actually/probably/perhaps/likely/metaphorically see an update in a week. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
